"During a three hour hearing, seven of eight panelists -- including the attorney general from Texas -- told members of a congressional subcommittee that the bill would do little to curtail the problem of child safety on the Internet, and could be held up in legal wrangling for years.  `Putting restrictions on children's access is a step in the right direction,' Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said. `But shutting it down in one area is not going to stop kids.'" [Allentown Morning Call, 7/12/06]

"The problem with DOPA is that it may do little to actually ensure safety," and that it may actually "make our children less safe." [Ann Collier, Co-Founder of BlogSafety.com]

"[M]any committee members as well as school, library and internet security officials who testified said Fitzpatrick's plan would do little to protect children.

[SNIP]

Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety.org, the world's largest online safety, education and help group, said wording in the bill was so vague that it could block all content on the Internet, including Yahoo, Google and America Online, which she said are all "already using social networking technology."

"We would be turning off, effectively, the entire Internet with this," Aftab said. [Bucks County Courier Times, 7/12/06]

"Ted Davis, director of the information technology department at Fairfax County Public School in Virginia, said the bill would `not protect students and it will place an added burden on schools.'" [Doylestown Intelligencer, 7/12/06]

While the experts found Congressman Fitzpatrick's bill far from helpful, here's what local law enforcement officials are saying about my plan:

"With over 30 years of law enforcement and security experience, I can tell you that the Murphy Plan for Online Protection is the right plan for our children," said Larry Glick, the current training director for the Abington Township Police Department. "It will give law enforcement the tools they need to get the job done."

"As a former federal prosecutor, I can tell you the Murphy Plan for Online Protection is the only plan that will really protect our children," said Chris Asplen, former Assistant US Attorney and recipient of the Attorney General's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Safety from Attorney General John Ashcroft. "Congressman Fitzpatrick's plan does nothing to protect our children, and in fact may make our children less safe. Mike's 'landmark legislation' merely duplicates current efforts, and fails to provide for any enforcement and investigative resources. Patrick recognized the flaws in Mike's bill, pointed them out, and crafted a tough and thoughtful approach to stopping internet predators."

The experts have seen this plan for what it is: an election year gimmick that does nothing to really protect children from sexual predators.  This is an issue that deserves serious attention, not a poorly-written, election year gimmick from a career politician.  When one in five children have been the subjects of inappropriate sexual advances, this is no longer just about politics.

As a former prosecutor, I understand what law enforcement needs to get the job done. That's why I've proposed the Murphy Plan for Online Protection.  My plan gets down to what needs to be done: giving local law enforcement the tools they need to catch and prosecute these predators, and giving parents the tools they need to keep predators out of their homes.

As the Internet grows, we need to provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to catch and prosecute these horrible criminals. When elected to Congress, I will work to dramatically increase funding and resources for local law enforcement to work with groups that catch on-line predators and put them behind bars. Local law enforcement is the first line of defense for our families.  We don't just need warnings anymore - we need action.

Second, I would require that site-blocking software be prominently displayed and freely downloadable on all sites where predators might attempt to lure our children. This would help all parents protect their kids at home, where most children access the Internet. We need to make sure ever child is protected - not just the ones using computers at school and in the library.

Finally, I would make it illegal for any person convicted of using a computer to commit a sex crime to access the Internet, so we could send them straight back to jail if they tried to commit a repeat offense - much the way we do with some convicted hackers. If we get tough with predators on both ends of the Internet, our children will be better protected.

It seems our Congressman is involved in the typical Washington game of putting out nice sounding legislation that could make the problem worse, not better, and leaves the dangerous impression that he's actually doing something to protect children. But it's time to change the way we do business in Washington DC.

- Patrick Murphy